Gluing machine control



March 7, 1939. R. M INKOW 2,150,124

GLUING MACHiN E CONTROL Filed Sept. 5, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet l March 7, 1939. ow I 2,150,124

G LUING MACHINE CONTROL Filed Sept. 3, .1937 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Wig;

March 7, 1939. ow 2,150,124

GL'JING MACHINE CONTROL Filed Sept, 3, 1937 s Shets-Sheet s x572 /Ja Patented Mar. 7, 1939 GLIJING MACHINE common Robert Minkcw, New York. N.

Hobbs Sales & Service Station, Inc., N. Y., a'oorporaticn of New York Y., assignor to New York,

Application September 3, 1937; Serial No. 162,364

11 Claims.

:; machinesfon-applying adhesive to the sheets.

One object of this invention is to provide a sheet-feeding mechanism. Another object is to provide means for adjusting the machine without stopping it. A further object is to provide means for accurately adjusting the mechanism. Another obiectis to provides. new and improved sheet-feeding mechanism. A further object to provide improved automatic-.means for moving sheets-toward the sheet-removing mechanism. A further object is to provide an ,improved sheet-feeding mechanism which automatically moves the sheets toward the sheetremoving means in response to a decrease in the number of sheets in astack.

Another object is to automatically feed the sheets in succession to thesheet-removing means. Another object is to provide a sheet-feeding mechanism which is adjustable. A further obiect is to provide a sheet-feeding mechanism in which the adiustments are readilyaccessible from the exterior of the machine. Another ob- .iect is to provide means for adjusting the automatic feeding of the sheets in response to the removal of a definite number of sheets from the stack.

Another object is to provide means for adsnstably varying the distance through which the heet-carrying table is automatically moved. A further object is to provide a sheet-feeding mechan sm havin fewer parts than have heretofore been deemed necessary. Another object is to vide mechanism of the class described which s more readily fabricated. A further object is m arrange the mechanism in. such a manner as to develop increased moment arms throughout the narts. Another object is to provide autoi ic resett n means free of cam elements. Other obiects and advantages of this invention ill apnear from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. In accordance with this invention, the various objects and advantages have been atta ned u'twiding a sheet-feeding mechan sm comprising a removable support for a stack I of sheets. means forremoving sheets from the stack means for automatically moving the support toward the sheet removing means in re sponse to a decrease in the number of sheets in the stack, and adjusting means operable without stopping the machine.

In the drawings wherein like numerals are used to designate corresponding parts in the various figures, Fig.,1 is a side elevation partly insection andpartly broken away showing-a sheetfeeding mechanismdncorporating features of this invention. .Figx2 isa. front .elevation partly in section showing the mechanism: of Fig. 1. 3 is a partial side elevation on an .enlarged scale showing someof-the importantfeatures of the feeding mechanism. Fig. 4 is a view partly-in in perspective showing the power drive .for the mechanism. Fig. 5.-. is an enlarged detail showingin cross section thatj portion of themachlne on the lineA-A of Fig.3. Fig. 6. is an enlarged view on the line-B- l 3 of Fig.

enlarged cross section on .the line in 5. Fig. 8=isan enlarged view of a portion of the carriage mechanism. Figs. 9'and 10 are views on lines 8-9 and-10 respectively of Fig. 3.

Thefeatures-of'this invention have been applied to a mechanism including a conveyor sys tem in, an adhesive applying'mechanism |l, a sheet-stack supporting table l2, sheet-removing mechanism l3, table feeding mechanism 14, and a source of power I5.

In the normal operation'of the machine a stack of sheets of paper or other material is placed upon the table i2 and the mechanism l3 removes one sheet at a time from the stack and feeds it up into the glue applying means H after which the sheet, to which the-glue or other adhesive has been applied, is fed on to the conveyor system l0. After a definite number of sheets of material have been removed by the mechanism [3 the table feeding mechanism i4 is operatively connected to the power drive 15 by automatic means so as to again raise the stack of sheets into position such that the uppermost sheet will be in proper position for the mechanism I3 to continue its cycle of operations. 40 The motive power is normally applied by a belt it or other device to the apparatus so that the parts Ni, ii and I3 are normally operating. The power drive is arranged to raise the table through the intermediation of the mechanism i i to thereby elevate the stack of sheets. This periodic or intermittent feeding of the table is controlled by the interrelated and coordinated parts of the apparatus hereinafter more specifically described. The belt l5 extends about the periphery of the driving pulley 16 which latter is provided with an internal, transversely tapering. clutch surface. The outer friction surface of the other member ll of the friction clutch is arranged to be moved into engagement with the 3. I Fig. I is an 15.

inner surface of the pulley IE by means of a clutch shifting lever which is manually operable but which is not shown. The clutch member 6'! is keyed. to a shaft 18 extending transversely across the machine which carries a spiral drive gear 15 at its opposite end. A spiral gear 20 carried at one end of a stub shaft 2| meshes with the gear i9 and is driven thereby. At the opposite end of the stub shaft 2| is carried a worm gear which is arranged to drive the worm wheel 23, carried on a stub shaft 24, and having an operating cam 25 in one of its faces.

A carriage operating cam roller stud 26 having a cam roller 21 is mounted to ride in the cam groove 25. The stud is carried upon the carriage operating lever 28 which latter is keyed to the shaft 29. The cam thereby causes the carriage operating levers 28 and 30 to oscillate about the axis of the shaft 29. By means of the openings 31 and 32 at the upper ends of the levers suitable mechanism hereinafter more fully described, is attached to the levers so as to transmit the movement thereof to the carriage. Levers are keyed on the shaft as at 33 and 34. The lever 39 extends upwardly from the shaft 29 and has a further lever arm portion 35 having a suitable bore 36. The upper part 31 of this lever is the carriage operating arm thereof and the lower part 35 is the table feed actuating arm thereof.

The feed roll mechanism is carried upon a carriage the latter being composed of carriage plates, riding upon channel section tracks at each side of the machine, interconnectedby the necessary structural members. The right hand carriage plate 46 is provided with the carriage rollers 4| and &2 each of which is carried upon a stud shaft 33. The stud shafts are spaced apart and the rollers ll and 42 ride in the channel track indicated by the dotted lines 44 and 45. The carriage plate 4% has upwardly extending portions 46 and 41' which may be adjustable relative to each other.

Ihe carriage actuating levers are connected with the plates ill! by the mechanism 48. This mechanism comprises an adjustable link mechanism fastened to the plate by the pin 53 and fastened to the lever 38 by the pin 5!. Adjustment for relatively spacing the lever and the plate is accomplished with the threaded member 49 which is threaded into the link portion 48 and locked by the nut 52 which is similarly threaded through the link end portion 53 and locked to it by the nut 5 the latter can be held in place by the cotter pin 55. It is now readily understood that as a result of the oscillating movement of the lever about its shaft, a reciprocating movement is imparted to the plate it which rides back and forth on its rollers in the channel track M.

The sheets 6B, which may be paper or other material are stacked upon the feed table 6! and supported thereon in such a manner that they may be readily removed by the sheet-removing mechanism. The table is then secured to and supported upon the shaft 52 by means of any suitable connecting structure 63. The shaft is arranged to ride within the feed table housing The shaft carries a rack 55- hy means of which the table may be raised when a definite number of sheets have been removed from the The rack, of course, is usually a separate element 55 fastened to the shaft 52. The rack is actuated by the racl: pinion 6? carried upon a shaft which latter is driven by means of the gear wheel 69. The gear wheel is secured thereon by the fastening means 10.

A brake drum H is carried on the shaft 68 and is arranged to be constantly engaged by the flexible brake shoe or band 72. The shoe is fixedly secured at one end to the stud 13 secured in the boss 19 on housing 64. It is yieldably secured at the other end by a spring 14 which is fastened to the brake band at T5 and to a stud 56. The stud is secured in the boss 71 on the housing 64. The brake mechanism is provided for the purpose of always causing the table to stop quickly as soon as the forward drive is removed. When it is desired to lower the table the clutch mechanism 78 is disengaged by means of an appropriate clutch release arm, not shown, and the table 61 is thereby allowed to drop by gravity to its lowermost position. The clutch mechanism 78 is constructed and arranged similar to the clutch designated 89, 90 shown in Figures 5 and 8 of the patent to Federwitz et al., No. 1,770,483. As soon as the table is in this position the clutch arm is allowed to re-engage so that the machine may again be operated automatically.

The gear 69 is arranged to mesh with the gear 86 carried on the stub shaft 8|, supported by the boss 83 of the frame. The shaft carries at its outer end a ratchet wheel 82. The ratchet wheel 82 becomes the means by which the movement of the lower arm of the lever 30 is imparted into the gear train comprising the gears 82, 80, 69 and 61.

A fixed or latch pawl is provided to prevent the ratchet wheel from moving in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1 and a feed pawl is provided for feeding the ratchet wheel about its shaft 8| The latch pawl is pivoted on the frame of the machine whereas the ratchet pawl is pivoted on a yoke relatively movable about the axis of the ratchet wheel. A ratchet pawl yoke 90 is rotatably carried on the stub shaft ill be tween the gear wheel 89 and the ratchet wheel 32. Upon this yoke is supported the ratchet pawl 9! which is rotatably mounted upon a pawl stud 92 and is secured thereon by a cotter pin 93. The end 94 of the ratchet pawl is so shaped as to engage the teeth 85 of the ratchet wheel. A spring 96 interposed between the ratchet pawl 91 and the boss 97 provides the necessary means for yieldably holding the pawl in engagement with the ratchet wheel. A boss 98 is arranged to provide the means to secure the yoke operating push rod to the yoke.

Threadedly engaged at the opposite ends of the push rod 99 is the push rod driving end I99 and the push rod driven end HH. Lock nuts I32 hold the ends firmly fixed to the rod. The driven end It)! is secured to the yoke by means of the pin 103. Both ends of the push rod are substantially L shaped in longitudinal cross section so that they may engage with the appropriate crank arms without interfering with the operation of the parts.

The driving end I99 of the push rod is provided with the elongated slot Hi l which, in cooperation with the pin I65, provides a lost motion connection with the lower arm 35 of the lever The pin 35 extends through the slot I94 and the opening 36 and has a washer I06 secured at its outer end by a cotter pin I01. The slot is so arranged that the pin 105 will ride between the two ends without abutting thereagainst when the rod is about in the position shown in Fig. 1. In this way the lever 39 can oscillate about its shaft without imparting any motion to the operating tened on the frame 159 by the bolts i333.

rod 99. When the mechanism allows the pin m to abut against the end of the slot, the rod $9 will be pushed from the right to the left thereby rotating the yoke 9! about the shaft and at the same time rotating the ratchet wheel 82. It is thus observed that the feed mechanism is normally inactive and is only operated in response to the decrease in the number of sheets of material on the table.

A ratchet trip bracket H38 provided with bosses Hi and H2 is secured to the frame m9 by appropriate holdfast means Hi). The locking pawl E E3 is pivotally supported on this bracket by the stud shaft lid to which the pawl is fastened by the cotter pin H5. A trip pawl H6 is pivotally supported on the bracket by means of the stud it? having a hexagonal head portion at one end and a threaded portion at the other end and secured in a boss on the bracket member. Interposed between the fixed pawl H3 and this trip pawl H5 is the spring Hi3 which serves two purposes: First, it holds the pawl H3 at all times in engagement with the ratchet gear teeth. Second- 1y, it urges the trip pawl H6 in a counter-clockwise direction about its axis. The adjustable pin H9 is locked at I20 in the boss H2 and is so arranged as to regulate the degree of movement which must be imparted to the trip pawl before the latter will release the ratchet yoke.

The boss if! on the ratchet yoke has a removable plate l22 which is arranged to abut against an extending flange 23 of the trip pawl. The dimensions of the plate 522 can be varied so as to require different degrees of movement to release plate 222 from the boss 523. The yoke 9 3 is continuously urged to rotate in a clockwise direction by means of the spring Hid interposed between the boss HI on the bracket H38 and the boss 32! on the yoke 99. It will now be understood that so long as the plate !22 is latched beh nd the flange iii; movement of the lever 39 will not be imparted to the ratchet yoke. The positioning of the parts as just described requires the pawl HB to be rotated about 30 degrees in a counter-clockwise direction. Then the flange 423 will be under the plate I22. In Fig. 1 it has been released and has not been reset.

As heretofore described, the ratchet feed will only operate when the trip pawl H5 has been operated thereby placing the feed mechanism operative engagement with the lever 3%. A trip plate IZfi is secured by the bolt i525 to the trip pawl.

The trip pin I39 is the means by which the pawl H6 is actuated to release the yoke 95 and allow it to rotate in a clockwise direction until the slot lo l engages the pin N35. The trip pin 535 is fastened at 53! to the arm lSZ which in turn is fastened to the shaft :33 by the set screw ltd. Pin E33 is threadedly secured in 532 and locked by nut 53!. Shaft it?! is threadedly secured at its upper end hill into the lower end trip plunger 35 and is slidably supported in the bearing blocks Hit and let. The latter are fas- The arm $32 on the shaft E33 is limited in movement by the collar 39. The plunger 435 is centered by a bearing block Edi secured to the frame ltil by the bolts M2, the bearing block being supported on the boss A spring M5 is secured to the caring block M2 by means of the pin and secured at its opposite by a pin Ml secured to the collar M l which latter is fast on the shaft 33.

Carriage to in its reciprocating movement on the machine accomplishes the consecutive removal of each sheet of material from the pile of the sheets supported on the table l2 and causes each sheet to be fed into the series of feed rolls 38, 39, 56 and El some of which are idler rolls and others of which are driven rolls. The operation and arrangement of these rolls is well known in the art and need not be fully described.

The suction rolls 58 are mounted upon a hollow shaft 59 which is carried by the links 8 1 pivotally connected by the pins 35 to the upwardly extending arm "25 of the carriage. An air line (48 is connected by means of a hollow collar to the shaft 59 and at its opposite end to the valve M9. The valve is placed in communication with a vacuum pump by means of appropriate connections secured to the ports we and Hit. Each one of the rollers 58 has a suction port Hill in the boss I52 thereon. The end of the hollow shaft is provided with rollers IE2 (or gear wheels) arranged to ride upon an angularly upwardly extending runway I63 which may be in the form of a track (or a rack) upon which the wheels or rollers 162 may rotate. The rotation imparted to the shaft as well as the angularly directed rising and falling of the same allows the suction ports 5! to engage the surface of a sheet and to pick it up as a result of the vacuum. The sheet is thereby fed into the position shown by dotted lines at 553 in Fig. 1 from which it con tinues upwardly between the rollers 55% and has adhesive material applied to one surface by the roller ll.

The oscillation of the shaft 59 about its axis is the result of the movement imparted by the angular runway ltt resulting from the reciproeating movement of the carriage ii As the roll raises the sheet the movable roller iii-ti supported by suitable bearings on a shaft on the arms i? engages the sheet between itself and another roller which is fixed on the frame of the machine. The two rollers feed the sheet into the series of rolls.

Each time the arm 3!! oscillates it carries with it the carriage 4! and the arm iEE fastened thereon at the point lfil; This arm has adjustable cam i5? secured thereon by the slotted connection I58. This cam strikes the pawl 95% which in turn operates to open valve 5 2 9 against the action of the spring iEil to thereby open the vacuum line to the atmosphere. In this manner the suction on the rolls 58 is terminated and the sheet of material is released from the suction rolls. On the return. stroke the spring 558 immediately seats the valve in closed position so that the vacuum is again applied to the suction roll.

For the purpose of actuating the table feed mechanism the sheet engaging roll i'it is arranged so that it can rest upon the top sheet if! of the stack fill. This roll is fixed on the shaft 532 which latter is supported in bearing blocks i'iii carried on the cross plate E'Ni which is se cured to the carriage til at each side of the machine. At the outer end of this shaft is secured a bell crank Each a is removed from the stack, shaft Eli; is carried away from the stack of sheets by movement of carriage at so as not to interfere with the suction roller lifting the top sheet from the stack. This is shown at 58, 58, iiii, 52 in Figure 3 and see Fi ure 2. As the carriage moves rearwardly the roller Hi! again engages the upper sheet of the stack and is in position to actuate the control mechanism if that is necessary.

The bell crank is normally urged to rotate in a clockwise direction about its shaft by means of a spring I16 which is connected to the bell crank by a pin I11 at one end and to a fixed abutment I18 by means of a pin I19. The abutment I18 is carried on the arm 41 and is an integral part thereof.

The bearing block I88 provides by its outer face a continuation of the wall forming portion I I39 of the frame along which the table 8i travels. The opposite wall of the bearing block is provided with several bosses for carrying important parts of the mechanism. The level adjusting bar I8I is pivotally supported on the bearing block at the point I82 and is pivotally connected to the bar I at the point I83. By means of adjustments of the bar I BI to be described, the feed mechanism can be operated in accordance with the removal of a definite number of sheets from the stack. The level adjusting bar I8! is tapered at one end I84 having the double tapered surfaces I 85 and I85. In this way if one tapered surface of the bar should have excessive wear the bar may be reversed so that the opposite face may be used for the level adjustment. The bell crank I15 engages the surface I85 of the level bar. When the required number of sheets have been removed from the stack, thereby compelling the gauge roller I19 to swing in a counterclockwise direction with shaft I12 which in turn moves the bell crank a counter-clockwise direction. The bell crank moves the level bar IIiI about its pivot I82 causing the rod I35 to be moved downwardly. This rod in turn carries the shaft I33 and the trip pin I30. The pin engages the plate I26 thereby rotating the trip pawl and allowing the yoke 99 to rotate because of the force applied by the spring I24. This allows the ratchet pawl 9| to rotate in a clockwise direction about the ratchet wheel moving past the number of teeth which corresponds to the distance which the table I2 is to be raised and throws one end of the slot I94 in engagement with the pin I05. With the forward oscillation of the lower arm 35 of lever 39 movement is im parted to the yoke and ratchet wheel thereby in turn raising the table by means of the gear train.

The connection between the push rod I35 and the level adjusting bar I8I is by means of a slot I81 and pin I88 connection thereby allowing the level bar I8I to move to the right or left for adjustment without directly acting upon the push rod I35. The level bar I8I being moved to the right allows a smaller number of sheets to be removed and by being moved to the left allows a greater number of sheets to be removed, before the table is fed upwardly.

The adjustments of the level bar I8I can all be made at the left hand extremity of the bar as viewed in Fig. 3. This extremity is easily accessible without requiring the stoppage of the machine or the removal of parts. These adjustments are accurate and precise.

The pin I89 has at one end a flange I99 which prevents the level bar from riding off of the pin. The pin passes through a hole I9I in the bearing block I89 to which latter it is fastened by the cotter pin I92. Pin I89 retains the level bar in a pivoted position as a consequence of it extending through the elongated slot I93 in the bar. It is retained in fixed position with respect to the slot by means of the level adjusting screw I94. This screw member has a knurled and direction dialed operating knob I95 at its outer end, which is accessible from the front of the machine, and an annular slot I96 intermediate its ends. The

screw I94 passes through the end wall I91 of the bar I8I and is allowed to freely turn therein but is locked insofar as longitudinal movement is concerned by means of the set screw I98 which has an extension I99 riding in the annular groove I96 of the screw I94. As a consequence there is no relative longitudinal movement between the bar IBI and the screw I94. The threads of the screw I94 engage an internally threaded portion 20!) extending radially through the pin I89. In this way, by adjusting the screw I94, after grasping the knurled end I95 and turning it clockwise or counter-clockwise, the bar I8I is moved to the right or left respectively as a result of the pivot pin I89 sliding relatively in the slot I93. After the bar I8I is adjusted to provide for the appropriate number of sheets theadjusting screw is locked in position by means of the manually operable knurled (see Fig. 9) look nuts 20I and 202. The former has a larger diameter than the latter and carries on its outer face the dial instructions (see Fig. 10). It will now be appreciated that a very simple but effective and accurate adjustment of the mechanism can be accomplished without interfering with the operation of the machine and without the need for shutting down the machine or requiring a skilled mechanic to make the adjustments.

Carried on the bearing block I88 are the bosses 2 I9 and 2| I by means of which the tension adjusting means 2I2 is supported. The tension means comprises a tension rod 2I3 having an enlarged portion 2I4 and a reduced end portion 2I5, the latter of which is arranged to slide in the opening 2I6 in the boss 2II. The left hand end of the pin 2I3 is arranged to ride in the bore 2I1 of the sleeve screw 2I8. The sleeve screw is provided at its outer end with a slot 2I9 by means of which a screw driver may be used to adjust the sleeve in the boss 2I0. A coil spring 229 surrounds the pin 2| 3 and abuts against one end 22I of the sleeve screw 2I8 and at its opposite end against the enlarged portion 2I4 of the pin. By this means the pin which is carried on the bearing block I90 provides a yieldable relatively fixed abutment for the bell crank I15. When the carriage is at its extreme right hand limit of motion the spring I16 holds the bell crank at the extreme of its clockwise motion. When the bell crank pushes against the pin 2I5 it will be forced into engagement with the top sheet of the stack of material but if the stack is so high that the feed mechanism need not be operated the yielding abutment provided by the pin 2I5 will allow the bell crank to force the pin to the left. In this way none of the parts will break. The sleeve screw is adjusted to regulate the amount of tension the bell crank must overcome. This adjustment allows the right amount of force to be applied to actuate the bell crank so as to trip the feed mechanism while at the same time providing an abutment to prevent any breakage of the parts if the stack of sheets is very high. This arrangement also avoids the possibility of the table being raised by the feeding mechanism when the stack of sheets is already sufficiently high.

All of the important adjustments of the machine can be made from the front while the machine is in operation. The actuation of the sheetfeeding mechanism can be changed so that it will respond to a decrease in a different number of sheets on the stack without either stopping the machine or interfering with its operation or having to remove any parts.

The level bar I8! can be adjusted from its left hand extremity as viewed in Fig. 3 by merely taking hold of the knurled knob I95 and turning it to the right or left. When it is turned in a clockwise direction the level bar is moved to the right. The pin I83 moves to the left relative to the level bar and the pivot I89 is caused to move with respect to the level bar while actually remaining as a fixed pivot with respect to the bearing block I80. When the screw member I94 is turned clockwise it draws the level bar I8I to the right and thereby causes its upper face I85 to be raised with respect to the end of the bell crank I75. After the level bar has been set to correspond to the appropriate height in the stack of sheets the lock nuts 201 and 202 are fastened so that the adjustment will remain definite and fixed. By placing appropriate indicia marks adjacent the knurled knob I95 accurate Vernier adjustments can be made which will give a known action by the mechanism. If the knob is turned counter-clockwise the bar I8! is pushed to the left with the result that the upper face I85 presents a lower point of surface to the bell crank and the pin I83 is moved relatively to the right. As a result of this adjustment the bell crank will engage the tapered surface of the level bar as a result of the roller I10 engaging the uppermost sheet of the stack. The uppermost sheet however must correspond in level to the point at which the bell crank engages the tapered surface.

The adjustment of the tension bar is also accomplished from the front of the mechanism by turning the sleeve screw 2I8 in a clockwise direction. The spring 220 is compressed to a greater amount with the result that a greater positive force must be applied to the bell crank in order that it may move the level bar. It will be understood however that under all circumstances it will require less effort to cause the pin 2I5 to yield against the spring than is required to break any of the component parts of the mechanism. Under such circumstances the pin will yield against the spring and thereby prevent a breakage of the parts. The relative tensioning of the spring also accomplishes a very nice control between the effective values of the spring I45 and the spring 220.

In the use and operation of this improved controlling means for a sheet feeding mechanism, the shaft 29 will be rocked under the action of the cam groove 25 carried by the gear wheel 23 which is operatively connected to the clutch I]. As the shaft 29 rocks the lever 30 will swing and move the carriage 40 back and forth on the guide 46-45. The spring I24 will bias the pawl carrier 96 in a clockwise direction and maintain the inner end of the slot I04 in contact with the pin I8! carried by the depending arm or lever 35. In this manner as the lever 30 and the arm 35 are rocked with the rocking of the shaft 29, the pawl carrier 90 will be rocked so as to effect a step by step rotation of the gear train 86 and 61. Rotation of the gear train will effect a step by step raising of the table I2 so as to maintain the sheets on this table in a position for removal by the suction operated removing means. During the rocking of the pawl carrier 90 under the action of the spring I24 which moves the carrier in a clockwise direction and under the action of the arm 35 which moves the pawl carrier 96 in a counter-clockwise direction, the pawl member H6 is in a released position. As shown in Figure 1, this pawl member H6 is shown in a locked position, in which position the pawl carrier 96 is held against movement by the spring I24. The pin II 9 is moved away from the lower end of the pawl IIB a distance sufficiently to permit the pawl H6 as viewed in Figure 1 to swing forwardly under the action of the spring I I8 so as to underlie the release plate I22. When in this position, that is with the upper end I28 of the pawl H6 underlying the release plate I22, the spring I24 will act to maintain the slot I9 1 in the push rod I80 in contact at one end thereof with the pin I05.

As the sheets are removed from the table I2, the feeler I10 gradually swings downwardly in a counter-clockwise direction under the pressure of the pin 5H5 which is tensioned by means of the spring 226. The pin 2I5 is held by means of the spring 226 into engagement with one arm of the bell crank I15. After a predetermined number of sheets have been removed from the stack the other arm of the bell crank I will come into contact with the tapered surface I85 of the releasing lever IBI. The taper on this lever IBI is such as to permit the carriage 40 to reciprocate to the desired degree until the desired number of sheets have been removed from the stack. The tension of the spring 220 will overcome the tension of the spring I45 and thereby rock the controlling lever I8I downwardly. Downward rocking of the lever I8! will cause the plunger rod I35 to move downwardly and this will in turn cause the trip member I30 to release the pawl H6 so that the push rod 99 is in a neutral position. In this neutral position the lever 36 may rock back and forth without movement of the table feeding means actuated by the push rod 99. The number of sheets which when removed from the stack will actuate the control lever I8I may be varied by means of the adjusting member I99 which will adjust the controlling lever I8I toward or away from the normally horizontal leg of the bell crank I15.

The machines to which the improvements of this invention are applied are well known in the art and a more complete description of the operation thereof may be ascertained from one or more of the following patents: 1,432,824; 1,684,741; 1,770,483; 1,803,935; 1,806,181; 1,857,260; 2,016,462; 2,065,178.

It will now be readily appreciated that a very compact and readily constructed mechanism has been provided which is capable of being adjusted by very simple operations performed from the outside of a machine. Furthermore, the number of parts to accomplish these adjustments is relatively small. A large number of parts have been eliminated.

Although a preferred embodiment has been illustrated and described, variations within the true spirit and scope of the same are to be determined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In apparatus for feeding sheets from a stack thereof comprising a carriage movable forwardly and rearwardly of the stack, mechanism for feeding the stack vertically, means for controlling said feeding mechanism comprising a member pivoted upon said carriage and movable thereby to a position over the stack adjacent the edge thereof, a gauge arm, means engageable by said member in response to movement of said carriage for deflecting said gauge arm toward the upper face of the stack, and means responsive to predetermined pivotal movement of said member effecting control of said feeding mechanism said control including a longitudinally slidable bar extending to the front of the machine and carrying adjusting means at said front end.

2. Sheet-feeding mechanism including a support for a stack of sheets; means to move said support vertically; means responsive to decrease of sheets on said support arranged to effect an actuation of said support feeding means comprising a lever longitudinally adjustable adjacent the front of the machine, a yieldable abutment and a bell crank for contacting the lever and abutment, said lever adjustable while the machine is in operation.

3. Sheet-feeding mechanism including a support for a stack of sheets; means to move said support vertically; means responsive to decrease of sheets on said support arranged to effect an actuation of said support feeding means comprising a lever adjustable adjacent the front of the machine, an adjustable abutment and a bell crank for contacting the abutment and the top of the lever, said lever and abutment adjustable while the machine is in operation.

4. Sheet-feeding mechanism including a support for a stack of sheets; means to move said support vertically; means responsive to decrease of sheets on said support arranged to effect an actuation of said support feeding means comprising a lever pivoted and adjustable at the front of the machine, an abutment and bell crank for contacting same, said lever adjustable While the machine is in operation.

5. Sheet-feeding mechanism having a support for a stack of sheets; means to move said support vertically automatically; and control means for rendering said last means operative in response to the decrease in sheets in said stack including a pivoted horizontally extending lever adjustable in its lengthwise direction and longitudinally of the machine to vary the number of sheets removed to which the control means responds.

6. Sheet-feeding mechanism having a support for a stack of sheets; means to move said support vertically; of means arranged to actuate said last named means automatically in response to decrease in sheets in said stack including a pivoted lever having a tapered upper surface, an elongated pin adjacent said lever, a bell crank arranged to engage the tapered surface of said lever and one end of said pin, means yieldably moving said pin against said bell crank, and means arranged to engage the upper sheet of said stack and to thereby rotate said bell crank.

7. Mechanism comprising stack carrying means, feeding mechanism for effecting elevation of said stack, a carriage movable relatively forwardly and rearwardly with respect to said stack, means controlling said feeding mechanism comprising a bell crank pivoted on said carriage, means rotated by said bell crank into engagement with the stack, and a longitudinally yieldable abutment extending to and adjustable at the front of the machine, said carriage moving said bell crank into engagement with said abutment.

8. Sheet feeding means comprising a support for a stack of sheets, means to move said support vertically in response to decrease of sheets in said stack, and means extending to the front of the support for carrying a member which may move said means longitudinally to adjustably vary the height of said stack which is effective to actuate said last named means.

9. In a sheet feeding mechanism including a movable carriage and mechanism for feeding a stack of sheets upwardly toward said carriage, means for controlling said feeding mechanism comprising a member pivoted on said carriage, filler means deflected by said member toward the top of the stack adjacent an edge thereof in response to movement of said carriage toward said stack, and means effecting control of said feeding mechanism actuatable by said pivoted member, said means being adjustable on the front of the machine while the machine is in operation.

10. In a step by step sheet feeding mechanism, means for rendering said feeding mechanism ineffective when a predetermined number of sheets have been removed from a movable stack table, said means comprising a rock shaft, a sheet engaging member secured to said shaft, a substantially L-shaped crank secured to said shaft, tensionable means engaging one arm of said crank for biasing said member to sheet engaging position, cut-off means connected to said feeding mechanism, and a control member engaging said cut-off means and engageable with the other arm of said crank to thereby actuate said cut-off means when a predetermined number of sheets have been removed from said stack.

11. A step by step sheet feeding mechanism, means for rendering said feeding mechanism ineffective when a predetermined number of sheets have been removed from a movable stack table, said means comprising a rock shaft, a sheet engaging member secured to said shaft, a substantially L-shaped crank secured to said shaft, tensionable means engaging one arm of said crank for biasing said member to sheet engaging position, a spring pressed pawl member operatively connected to said feeding mechanism, means constantly urging said pawl member to a position whereby said feeding mechanism may continue operation, a vertically movable pawl operating member engageable with said pawl member to move said pawl member to a position whereby said feeding mechanism will be rendered ineffective, means constantly urging said pawl operating member to an inoperative position, a control lever, means pivotally securing one end of said lever to the frame of the machine, means connecting said lever intermediate the ends thereof with said pawl operating member, said control member having the opposite end thereof disposed in a position for engagement with the other arm of said bell crank whereby said other arm of said bell crank will rock said opposite end of said lever downwardly upon removal of a predetermined number of sheets from the stack to thereby move said pawl operating member downwardly to an operative pawl engaging position.

ROBERT MINKOW.. 

